Endless bed type metal surface finishing machines



Nov. 24, 1959 P. A. SOLEM 2,913,353

ENDLESS BED TYPE METAL SURFACE FINISHING MACHINES Filed Aug. 24, 1955 4Sheets-Sheet 1 w 2 a a a o S y @2 \Q u 3 E Peter- 11.5 01am, k

Nov. 24, 19-59 1 A. soLEM 2,913,853

ENDLESS BED TYPE METAL. SURFACE FINISHING MACHINES Filed Au 24', 1955 I4 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 I k a I I: 0 0

v In 5 Peter A. Salem P. A. soLEM 2,913,853

munuzss BED TYPE METAL .SUREACE FINISHING MACHINES Nov. 24, 19-59 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 24, 1955 ENDLESS BED TYPE METAL SURFACEFINISHING MACHINES Peter A. Solem, Rockford, in. Application August 24,1955-, Serial No. 530,340 '18 (Cl. 51-45 I This invention relates toendless bed type metal surface finishing machines and, morespecifically, one in which the endless bed carries magnetic chucks onthe links thereof that are arranged to be automatically energized asthey ride upon one end of the bed slides and deeriei'gized when theyleave said bed slides at the other end of the bed. The surface finishingreferred to may be alight milling operation, surface. grinding, or anyother similar operation, depending upon how much metal is to be removedin one pass of the work under the one or more rotary heads or drums andthe nature of the drums employed or the finishing material providedthereon, the object being to make available in this machine as nearly aspossible the same. high production output of an endless bed sander usedheretofore only in wood-working in the milling, surface grinding, orother finishing on a wide range of small, medium, and large metal partsin what are commonly referred to as production jobs, where with onesetup of the machine many parts of the same width or miscellaneouswidths but of a given thickness may be fed through the machine.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figs. 1 and 2 are a side view and endvifew, respectively, of an endlessbed type metal surface finishing machine made in accordance with myinvention;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the machine;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section showing a typical magnetic chuck, and j y Fig.5' is an enlarged sectional detail of one of the brushes;

The same reference numerals are applied .to. corresponding partsthroughout the views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 have illustrated a machine having anendless work feeding bed or carrier indicated generally 'by thereference numeral 6 that is similar in general appearance tothose usedin thewell known Solem sanding machines but having. the slats 'orcross-bars 7 that are linked together on a pair of chains 8 in the formof elongated magnetic chuck bars, instead of be ing ordinary slats orcross-bars each designed to carry a row of the usual molded rubbertraction blocks, the chuck bar bodies themselves forming the slats orcrossbars. The present invention contemplates magnetically holding oneor more metallic work-pieces W on the endless bed 6 during their passagethrough the machine in a light milling operation, surface grinding, orother comparable operation, in contrast to the combined friction andsuction cup hold afforded by the rubber traction blocks-on woodenwork-pieces to be sanded in the Solem sanders in the past. Any one ofthe circles numbered 9, 10, 11 and 12 is therefore not to be confused asrepresenting a sander drum, as in a Solem sander, but is here to beunderstood as representing either a milling cutter, a grinding wheel, ora drum covered like a sanding drum but with heavy duty metal workingabrasive cloth, depending upon the work being handled and the specificsurface finishing being given on the metal work pieces.

United States Patent 0 "ice Thus, wheel or drum 9 may, for example, be agrinding wheel or wheels set to grind to an initial depth, 10 being setto grind to a further depth, 11 being set to grind to a still furtherdepth, and 12 being set to grind to the final depth desired. On theother hand, 9 may be a milling cutter to perform a light millingoperation, 10 a grinding wheel to do a follow-up grindingoperation, and11 and 12 abrasive drums to do follow-up surface smoothing and finishingoperations. On the other hand, units 9 and 10 may, for example, begrinding wheels set to grind to an initial depth and to a further depth,respectively, while units 11 and 12 are abrasive drums, one relativelycoarse and one relatively fine for smoothing the freshly ground surfacesof the work-pieces. Or, unit 9 may be a grinding wheel, while units10-12 are abrasive drums doing follow-up coarse, medium, and finefinishing operations, respectively. Or all four or only the first two orthree of units 9-12 may be abrasive drums while the final one (or two)does a polishing, rubbing, or buffing operation. Various othercombinations will readily ocour to those skilled in the art to whichthis invention relates.

The chuck bars 7 run on spaced parallel bed slides 13 extendinglengthwise of the machine under the units 9-12 in crosswise relationshipto girts 14. The latter are fastened at their ends in the bed frame 15that is vertically adjustable on ways provided on the opposite sides ofthe machine main frame 16. The bed 6 is accurately adjusted to andlocked in the proper elevation relative to units 9-12 according to thethickness of the workpieces W to be processed. These are fed in'overtable 17 at one end and are removed from table 18 at the other end.Sprockets 19 and 20 mesh with chains 8 and are provided on cross-shafts21 and 22 at opposite ends of the bed frame 15, and an electric motor isprovidedin housing 23 to furnish the drive to shaft 22 throughsuitablereduction gearing. Other electric motors 24 are provided, onefor each of the units 9-12, to drive the-same at predetermined speeds.Variable speed drive for the units 9-12 is provided for in this machinesimilarlyas in the Solem sanders, and infinitely adjustable feed speedsfor the feed bed 6. The control panel with push buttons on it forcontrol of all of the motors is indicated at 25 on the front end of themachine. A separate control box 26 is provided associated with motor 27for power adjustment of the bed frame 15 up or down. Fine adjustment canbe made with hand-wheel 28. Hoods 29 serve to conduct dust away frombetween the units 9-12, there being enough of these hoods, asv seen. inFig. 3 so that suction is at work on both sides of each. drum tov carryoff dust and keep the machine operating clean.

In operation, bus bars 30 and 31 are mounted longitudinally of one sideof the bed frame 15 in spaced parallel relation on insulation 32 andthey are suitably connected with a source of low voltage direct current.The'chuck. bars 7 each have spring-pressed brushes 33 and 34 slid.- ableon bars 30' and 31 to connect the windings 45 in the bars with thecurrent source as the bars 7 ride up onto. slides 13 at the infeed end17, and disconnect the windings automatically as the bars 7 ride off theslides 13 at the outfeed end 18. When the bars reach the outgoing.

end of slides 13, as when they reach the position indicated by line a-ain Fig. 3, the chuck bars 7 are de-energized by a brief reversal ofcurrent through their windings-45 in a well known way so that the work Wis freed and can'be removed easily. It has not been deemed necessary toillustrate the internal construction of the magnetic chuck bars 7inasmuch as magnetic chucks are well known and any suitable or preferreddesign, such as that manufactured by Sundstrand Magnetic Products Co. ofRockford, lllinois, can be used. It is, therefore, considered sufficientto illustrate an energizing coil of winding diagrammatically at 45,connected as shown at 46 and 47 with brushes 33 and 34, respectively.The workpieces W may be plates or castings, gears, or any one of a largevariety of small, medium size, or large pieces requiring surfacegrinding or other similar work. The work-pieces may be clamped directlyor with adaptors, because the chucks have such deep penetration to workeasily through an adaptor. It will, of course, be understood that theshowing herein of four units 9-12 is not to be taken as placing anylimitation whatsoever upon the present invention,inasmuch as in somemachines only one, or two, or three units might be employed, whereas inothers a greater number might conceivably be required, depending, ofcourse, upon the kind of work to be done. Also, while most grindingoperations are done dry, the present machine is well adapted for wetgrinding, it being only necessary to supply water or other liquidthrough pipes indicated at 35-38 in Fig. 3, extending parallel to andabove the units 9-12, respectively, to spray the liquid on said unitsall along the length thereof. Separate supply lines and separate valveswill be provided of water or other liquid sprayed from each of thesepipes, to obtain the desired results and permit delivering the specialkind of liquid to each unit that that unit requires. The liquidsupplied, for example, through pipe 35 will be a cutting fluid in theevent unit 9 is a milling cutter. If unit 10 is another milling cutter,the same will, of course, be true of the liquid then delivered throughpipe Wheels 39-42 are provided on the side of the machine, as seen inFig. 1, for manual adjustment up and down of the units 9-12,respectively, similarly as for the drums in the Solem sanders. Inconclusion, attention is called to the elongated V-shaped leaf springtrough strips 43, one of which is attached by its one edge portion tothe hoods 29 in a grinding or abrading operation, for example, theslides 13 being thereby shielded against contamination of the lubricantthat is delivered onto the surfaces thereof continuously under pressureduring the operation of the machine by unit 44 (Fig. 2). Metallicparticles and chips will, of course, be retained magnetically on bars 7anyway until the demagnetization at aa, and when the bars are invertedas they start their return travel in passing under sprockets 20, allloose particles on the bars and in the troughs will be dropped and maybe caught in a suitable receptacle placed under the bed 6.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A machine of the character described comprising a frame, an endlessbed operable in said frame to convey magnetizable metallic work-piecesthrough the machine, rotary cylindrical metal surface finishing unitsmounted in said frame in parallel relationship to one another in a planespaced from and parallel to the work supporting surface of said endlessbed to operate on the surface of a metal work-piece supported on andconveyed by said bed, magnetic chucks secured in substantially coplanarrelation to and moving with said bed, and means for supplying current tosaid chucks, so that the chucks are energized only for theirstraightaway travel past the aforesaid units.

2. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the last mentioned meanscomprises brushes on said chucks connected to the energizing coils insaid chucks, and bus bars connected to a source of current supply andmounted in said machine for slidable engagement by said brushes.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the magnetic chucks areinthe form of bars extending crosswise I less bed is mounted in the widthof the bed, and the last mentioned means comprises brushes on the endsof the bars and connected to the energizing coils in said chuck bars,and bus bars connected to a source of current supply and mounted in saidmachine for slidable engagement by said brushes.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the endless bed is mountedin a frame slidable vertically on ways in the machine frame, the machineincluding means for adjusting said bed frame up or down relative to therotary units.

5. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the enda frame slidablevertically on ways in the machine frame, the machine including means foradjusting said bed frame up or down relative to the rotary units, therotary units being separately adjustable vertically relative to the bed.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least the first of saidunits is a milling cutter.

7. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least the first of saidunits is a milling cutter and at least one of the other units is agrinding wheel.

8. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least the first of saidunits is a milling cutter and at least one of the other units is anabrading drum.

9. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least the first of saidunits is a milling cutter and at least one of the other units is agrinding wheel, at least one of the units being an abrading drum.

10. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rotary cylindricalunits are grinding wheels for performing surface grinding operations onthe work-pieces.

11. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of saidrotary cylindrical units is a grinding wheel for performing surfacegrinding operations on the workpieces, at least one of the other unitsbeing an abrasive drum for smoothing the freshly ground surface on thework-pieces.

12. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rotary cylindricalunits are abrasive drums for operation on the surfaces of thework-pieces.

13. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rotary cylindricalunits are abrasive drums for operation on the surfaces of thework-pieces, at least one of said drums carrying coarse abrasive, atleast one of said drums carrying medium coarse abrasive, and at leastone of said drums carrying fine abrasive.

14. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the magnetic chucks are inthe form of bars extending crosswise the width of the bed, the machineincluding resilent V-shaped troughs extending lengthwise of one side ofthe bars for compression to a narrower V-form between the bars duringstraightaway travel of the bars past the rotary units to catch workparticles during the operation of the machine.

15. A machine as set forth in claim 1, including .at least one pipe fordischarging liquid onto at least one of the rotary units.

16. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of saidrotary cylindrical units is a milling cutter, the machine includingmeans for discharging cutting fluid onto said cutter.

17. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of saidrotary cylindrical units is a grinding Wheel, the machine includingmeans for discharging water or other fluid onto said wheel.

18. A machine of the character described comprising a frame, an endlessbed operable in said frame to convey magnetizable metallic work-piecesthrough the machine, rotary cylindrical metal surface finishing unitsmounted in said frame in parallel relationship to one another in a planespaced from and parallel to the work-supporting surface of said endlessbed to operate on the surface of a metal work-piece supported on andconveyed by said bed, magnetic chucks secured in substantially coplanarrelation to and moving with said bed, and means for supplying ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pelstring Feb.10, 1880 Fraser July 30, 1895 6 Philips Apr. 24, 1923 Sheehan Sept. 16,1924 Fitzsimmons Oct. 21, 1924 Solem Dec. 27, 1927 Byrnes July 21, 1931Pettigrew May 10, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Italy Mar. 23, 1948

